Leake County, Mississippi · Carthage
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Leake County averages 3 nights a year at 20°F or colder, mostly January, and 13% of its homes predate 1960.
Heavy rain days of an inch or more come about 16.5 times a year here, most often in April. A sump pump that hasn't run since last season is a common weak point.
Backups often follow heavy rain, which Leake County gets about 16.5 days a year, when storm water overloads sewer mains and pushes up through the lowest drain in the house.
In Leake County, 5.16 inches fell on the wettest day of the 2015–2024 record. Storms like that, and ice dams in snowy winters, cause most roof leaks.
28% of occupied homes in Leake County heat mainly with wood or propane, above the Mississippi county median of 15.1%.
About 118 nights a year here stay at 65°F or warmer, so basements and crawl spaces can grow mold even without a leak.
Local risk profile
About 21,319 people live in Leake County, 583 square miles in central Mississippi, in roughly 9,078 homes. The county seat is Carthage, and Walnut Grove, Redwater and Standing Pine round out the largest towns. Half the homes here were built before 1982, half after.
47/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Leake County ranks 44 of 82 Mississippi counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Leake County ranks highest compared with other Mississippi counties.
Leake County gets more hard-freeze nights than most of Mississippi. It averaged 42 freezing nights a year over 2015–2024, 3 of them at 20°F or colder, cold enough for pipes in outside walls and crawl spaces to freeze. Among 82 Mississippi counties that's 28th.
Most freezing nights fall from January, peaking in January. Disconnect garden hoses and shut off outdoor spigots before the first hard frost, and keep the heat at 55°F or higher if you'll be away.
Freezing nights typically start around Nov 13 and end around Mar 13.
Rainfall is about average for Mississippi. Of roughly 60.6 inches of yearly precipitation, the damage comes from the 16.5 days a year with an inch or more, ranked 36th of 82. January, February and April see the most. The single wettest day in the record: 5.16 inches, April 3, 2017. The worst three-day stretch dropped 7.51 inches, ending August 25, 2022, the kind of soaking that overwhelms sump pumps and storm sewers.
Freeze-thaw days, below freezing overnight and above it by afternoon, come about 41 times a year here. They're the main driver of ice dams and of water working its way through foundation cracks in late winter.
Housing
Roughly 47% of the county's housing was built before 1980. That puts Leake near the middle of Mississippi's 82 counties.
Older and newer homes sit side by side here: 13% predate 1960 and 21% are from 2000 or later. Corroded pipe is the typical failure in the first group, burst supply hoses in the second.
32% date from 1980 to 1999, the window when polybutylene, a gray flexible plastic supply pipe, was used in some homes. It's prone to leaks at the fittings, so it's worth checking for in a house from those years.
25% of homes are manufactured or mobile homes, above the Mississippi county median of 20%. Their water lines run under the floor behind the skirting, so a torn skirt or failed heat tape freezes them faster than lines in a site-built house.
Beyond water
About 118 nights a year in Leake County stay at 65°F or warmer, a sign of muggy summer air (53rd of 82 counties). April is the wettest month. The EPA recommends keeping indoor humidity below 60%, ideally 30 to 50%. Basements can pass 60% on their own in summer, so a dehumidifier matters even without a leak, and anything wet should be dried within 24 to 48 hours.
Mold remediation: what to expectMain heating fuel in Leake County's occupied homes: 15% utility gas, 58% electric, 25% propane and 3% wood. Wood and propane heat are more common here than the state median. Have chimneys swept and fuel-burning appliances serviced each fall, and keep three feet clear around stoves and space heaters.
Fire and smoke cleanup: first stepsCoverage
Calls connect to restoration companies that work across Leake County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Leake gets more pipe-freeze nights than any of its neighbors. Attala County has the oldest housing nearby, with 49% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Leake | Mississippi median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 13% | 15% | 51 of 82 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 47% | 45% | 34 of 82 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 21% | 23% | 51 of 82 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 25% | 20% | 25 of 82 |
| Vacant homes | 18% | 17% | 31 of 82 |
| Wood or propane heat | 28% | 15% | 11 of 82 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 3/yr | 3/yr | 28 of 82 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 17/yr | 16/yr | 36 of 82 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 41/yr | 32/yr | 18 of 82 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 118/yr | 125/yr | 53 of 82 |
Rank 1 is the highest value. Bars run from the lowest to the highest Mississippi county; the tick marks the median; orange means higher water damage risk than the median, green means lower.
Questions
Peak risk months in Leake County: freezing from January, heavy rain in January, February and April.
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2024 5-year estimates (2020-2024); weather from NOAA nClimGrid-Daily county averages (EpiNOAA), 2015–2024, averaged across the county; county boundaries from Census TIGER. Reviewed 2026-10-21. Methodology